Saleta Welch

Saleta May Prince Welch was born on March 18, 1932 in Atlanta, Georgia. She went home to heaven on March 25, 2025, a week after her 93rd birthday. Today she is rejoicing with Jesus whom she faithfully served throughout her life.

Saleta grew up in a Christian home and put her faith in Jesus as a child. She was the middle of three children raised near Tybee Island, Georgia, and later the family moved near Gainesville, Georgia. Growing up, she enjoyed spending time in the woods, especially at the waterfall on her family's homeplace. She had a lifelong love of nature.

Saleta was compassionate, adventurous, creative, hard-working, and she loved her family.

Saleta graduated from the University of Georgia in 1953. (Later she went on to complete her master's degree in 1972 at East Texas State University.) After teaching school for two years, she went to flight training school and became an American Airlines stewardess. While she was in flight training school, she met the love of her life, Morris Welch, in her Sunday School class at First Baptist Church, Dallas. They were married at the family waterfall in Georgia on August 18, 1957. They had three daughters, Alison, Sharon, and Jan, and moved to Forney, Texas in 1965. After moving to Forney, Saleta started a private kindergarten in the family home and then went on to teach for many years at Forney Elementary School (mostly first grade). Faith and family were her priorities, and she was a wonderful mom to her girls, including Mary Jon Whittemore who is like a fourth daughter in the family.

Saleta was active in many community and social organizations including the Forney Historical Society, garden club, library, and book and craft clubs. She enjoyed traveling and attending grandchildren's sporting events, camping, hosting "cousins' camp" for her grandchildren, and hosting family holidays. She loved crafts including sewing, painting gourds, making jewelry, and gardening.

She was a loving Granny to nine grandchildren and nineteen great-grandchildren. Saleta was a good friend and neighbor to everyone.

Saleta is preceded in death by her husband of over 60 years, Morris Wayne Welch, her parents, Albert Edward Prince and Louise Anna Davis Prince, sister Joanne Prince Epps, and brother James Prince. She is survived by her daughter Alison Welch Adkins and husband Carvan, daughter Sharon Welch Beall and husband Mark, daughter Jan Welch Skinner and husband Dan, grandchildren Kelly Adkins Willis and husband Trevor, Austin Adkins and wife Laurie, Stacy Adkins Manross and husband Chris, Bethany Beall Mills and husband Jason, Joseph Beall and wife Emily, Ethan Beall and wife Taylor, Danny Skinner and wife Katie, Matthew Skinner and wife Katie, Jamie Skinner Dunn and husband Kyle, great-grandchildren Caleb, Saleta, Avienda, Silas, Cason, Micah, Archer, Margot, Linus, Owen, Audrey, Thomas, Clara, Porter, Hayes, Nathan, Luke, Holli and Colton, and many nieces, nephews, and cousins.

Memorials may be made to First Baptist Church, Forney.